Perhaps no one can appreciate the consummate professional New England’s Wes Welker has become over the years more than arguably the second-best slot receiver in the NFL, Miami’s Davone Bess.

“When I was younger,” Bess said Thursday, “I would get film and watch him, especially during the offseasons, to see what he was doing, how he was able to get open. I applied that to my game, and it’s helped me.”

Welker, 31, is far and away the NFL’s leading receiver since the Dolphins traded him to the Patriots for a second-round pick in 2007, his 634 receptions in that span being 78 more than runner-up Reggie Wayne. Keeping him in check will be a priority if Miami is to have a realistic chance of beating New England in their AFC East battle Sunday at Sun Life Stadium (1 p.m., CBS).